(RIA Novosti) - Russia's lower house of parliament passed an energy efficiency bill on Friday, aimed at creating a legal and economic basis for stimulating energy saving technology and reducing excessive electricity use.
The bill was passed by the State Duma in its third reading. President Dmitry Medvedev had proposed several initiatives for the bill, including the banning of high-wattage light bulbs, in July.
The document sets out government measures to help business switch to energy efficient technology through subsidies, tax benefits, and repayment of interest on loans obtained for energy saving projects.
In line with the bill, the production and sale of light bulbs of 100 watts and over will be stopped from 2011. As more efficient bulbs are introduced over the coming years, those over 75 W will be banned from 2013, and 25 W from 2014.
An energy efficient compact fluorescent lamp with power consumption of 24 W produces light equivalent to a traditional incandescent light bulb of 115 W. An 11 W CFL bulb is equivalent to a 60 W incandescent bulb.
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